#09 – David Sabatini, M.D., Ph.D.: rapamycin and the discovery of mTOR

Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://bit.ly/4c602k2 Original release date: 8/13/2018 In this episode, my good friend David Sabatini delves into his extensive work with the mechanistic target of rapamycin—better known as mTOR—and rapamycin. The compound rapamycin is the only known pharmacological agent to extend lifespan all the way from yeast to mammals—across a billion years of evolution. David, a professor of biology and a member of the Whitehead Institute at MIT, shares his remarkable journey and discovery of mTOR in mammalian cells and its central role in nutrient sensing and longevity. Fasting, rapamycin, mTOR, autophagy, gedankenexperiments: having this conversation with David is like being the proverbial kid in the world’s greatest candy store. We discuss: -mTOR and David’s student years [4:30]; -Rapamycin and the discovery of mTOR [8:15]; -The connection between rapamycin, mTOR, and longevity [30:30]; -mTOR as the cell’s general contractor [34:45]; -The effect of glucose, insulin, and amino acids on mTORC1 [42:50]; -Methionine sensing and restriction [49:45]; -An intermittent approach to rapamycin [54:30]; -Rapamycin’s effects on cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegeneration [57:00]; -Gedankenexperiment: couch potatoes on rapamycin vs perfectly behaved humans [1:03:15]; -David’s dream experiment with no resource constraints [1:07:00]; and -More. Show notes page: https://peterattiamd.com/davidsabatini/ About: The Peter Attia Drive is a weekly, ultra-deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing health, longevity, critical thinking…and a few other things. With over 10 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including fasting, ketosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Peter is the founder of Attia Medical, PC, a medical practice with offices in San Diego and New York City, focusing on the applied science of longevity. The practice applies nutritional biochemistry, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, techniques to increase distress tolerance, lipidology, pharmacology, and four-system endocrinology to increase lifespan (delaying the onset of chronic disease), while simultaneously improving healthspan (quality of life). Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com/ Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/ Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/ Connect with Peter on: Facebook: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW Instagram: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG Subscribe to The Drive: Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts Overcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify Google Play: http://bit.ly/TheDriveGooglePlay